Trip for automatic railway-switches



(No Model.)

J. L. MORRIS & J. P. NACE. TRIP FOR AUTOMATIC RAILWAY SWITCHES.

No. 492,042, Patented Feb.- 21, I893.

1 /'nes,se,s Evenings:-

/ Jljybrrzls a UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOSEPH L. MORRIS AND JOHN P. NAOE, OF LAVVRENOE, KANSAS.

TRIP FOR AUTOMATIC RAILWAY-SWITCHES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 492,042, dated February21, 1893.

Application filed February 19, 1892. Serial No. 422,073. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, JOSEPH L. MORRIS and JOHN P. NAOE, of Lawrence,Douglas county, Kansas, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Trips for Automatic Railway-Switches, of which thefollowing is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being hadto the accompanying drawings, forming a part hereof.

Our invention relates to that class of switch mechanism for railways inwhich the switches are automatically thrown by passing railway trains orrailway vehicles, and more particularly to the general type of automaticrailway switches embraced in Letters Patent No. 470,696, granted to usMarch 15, 1892.

The objects. of our invention are to provide means for insuring contactbetween the auto matic switch-operating levers and the operatingattachments upon the railway vehicles, and thus avoid all possibility ofthe trains or vehicles passing said levers without operating the same.

To the above purposes, our invention consists in certain peculiar andnovel features of construction and arrangement, as hereinafter describedand claimed.

In order that our invention may be fully understood, we will proceed todescribe it with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a partly sectional elevation of our device. Fig. 2 is adetached perspective view of the improved switch-throwing lever and itsoperating collar.

In the said drawings, 3 designates the ties or sleepers which may be ofany suitable or preferred form or material and upon which suitable railsare laid and secured in the usual or any preferred manner.

29 designates one of the switch-throwing levers, this lever being ofelongated and preferably skeleton form, although it is permissibly ofsolid form and is tapered inwardly toward its outer end as shown. Theinner end of said lever is formed with a hub or boss 80 which surroundsthe end of the shaft 21, and immediately above this hub or boss with alug 81 which projects from the outer side of the lever. Upon therock-shaft 21 adjacent to the outer side of the lever 29 is rigidly se=-cured (by a key 82, or equivalent means) a ring or collar 83 having arecess or opening 84 to receive the described lug 81. The outer end ofthe shaft 21 is journaled in the vertical portion of a bearing 85 whichis preferably of L-shape in cross section and upon the horizontalportion of this hearing are bolted or otherwise suitably secured as at86, the lower horizontal ends of two retaining springs 87. The upperparts of these springs are of approximately S-form and are united totheir lower horizontal portions by U-shaped bends 88. It will thus beseen that the springs 87 lie at opposite sides of the lever 29 and theirlower parts extend away from the shaft 21, while their upper partsextend toward said shaft, and that their upper extremities come at timesinto contact with opposite sides of the inner end of said lever adjacentto the hub or boss 80 thereof. It will be further entirely free anddisconnected from the hub and lever, the latter thus being permitted tohave a certain amount of movement entirely independent of the springs.Now, when the lever 29 is thrown in one or the opposite direction by asuitable projection upon a locomotive or other railway vehicle, thesprings 87 prevent the lever from assuming a horizontal position, andretain it in an upwardly inclined position as shown in Fig. 1, so that arailway train or vehicle approaching the lever from the oppositedirection will not fail to engage the lever as required.

From the above description, it will be seen that we have produced meanswhich are simple, strong, durable, and inexpensive in construction, anddirect and reliable in operation, and which, furthermore, prevent allpossibility of the trains passing the levers in either direction withoutoperating the same.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new therein, anddesire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. An automatic railway switch-mechan ism, comprising a rock-shaft foroperating a switch, a collar secured rigidly upon said rock-shaft andhaving a radial marginal recess or opening, a rock-arm or lever securedupon the rock-shaft and having a stud or lug to engage said recess oropening, a standard or hearing for the shaft and a pair of oppositelydisposed horizontal leaf-springs secured to the standard or hearing andat their upper ends freely and separately engaging the lower sides ofthe rock-arm or lever at opposite sides thereof, so as to retain saidlever in partly raised condition, substantially as set forth.

2. An automatic railway switch-mechanism, comprising a rock-shaft foroperating a switch, a collar secured rigidly upon said rook-shaft andhaving a marginal radial recess or opening, a rock-arm or lever ofskeleton and tapered form, secured upon the rockshaft adjacent to thecollar and having a lateral lug or stud to engage the recess or openingof the collar, a standard or hearing for the rock-shaft, ofapproximately L-form in cross-section, and a pair of oppositely disposedretaining-springs located at opposite sides of the rock-arm and securedat their lower ends to the said standard, and also freely and separatelyengaging at their upper ends, opposite sides of the rock-arm, so as toretain the same in partly raised condition; the springs extending firstaway from and then toward the rock-arm, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof we affix our signatures in the presence of twoWitnesses.

JOSEPH L. MORRIS. JOHN P. NACE.

Witnesses:

H. 0. WHEELER, MURDO MOODY.

